ANOTHER MAY 31 POST

THIS IS A GET WELL WISH FOR CAITLIN

Betty's Kitty Caitlin

Caitlin's sister Goldie.
She lives in the basement and catches mice and rats

Caitlin's big brother Cody
digging for gophers.
They are all rescue animals - adopted from the shelter.

Sunday May 31 2009

Today's pictures are all taken by Judi yesterday when we went to the Williams Place and the river. Thanks very much for lending them to me Judi.

. Judi found these pieces of a China plate that had been unearthed in cleared land by the gravel pit. This was the best treasure we found all day. It also could have come from almost anyone of the several places down there but the Macks had a homestead just about in this place. They had a stage stop, and also caught and broke wild horses off the desert. I've never found any trace of where those buildings sat, even a nail. Vic said there is nothing left there.

Me - having crawled under the locked gate. Uffta.

This is the remains of a lady's shoe. We stopped at the old dump where Joe's dad took a lot of old stuff when they moved here. Buried in there are a really old wringer washer, a handle crank oak telephone and lots of everyday stuff. I thought the shoe might be his mother's, ..... or who knows whose it was or where it came from. The dump had eroded out in the years since I'd stopped there and quite a bit of rusty cans and other stuff is strewn around. Going through the old homestead dumps is quite a common and entertaining recreation for some people. My favorite finds have been a few old blue glass bottles.

Last night I got wide awake for a while and read emails and finished up reconciling the online statements. I also used the "up" time to do a fresh manicure. Jackie sent another installment of her journal pages and I really enjoyed reading that instead of any book. Her little old pug is having some seizures and has been taking him to the vet. It reminded me of when my Barney got seizures so bad. So I sent her the story I wrote about Barney years back. It took the computer a little time to find and dislodge it from the innards of the files. Aren't computers amazing?

Won't go to church today. Just plan to keep slowly working on the house cleaning and eventually it will get done. Most of the floors are wood. I want to use the wood floor cleaner finish on all the wood floors today. It doesn't take too long though. I have a nice big flat mop that spreads the finish, mops up dirt and covers the areas quickly. You spray on the cleaner and mop away. Some years back now we had a floor person come from Jackson and refinish the wood floors. He put on a protective finish and I never have to wax the floors anymore. Boy that used to be a huge job spreading paste wax on hands and knees and then buffing. So glad not to have to do that anymore. The refinishing was worth every penny. Joe and I had to move to a motel in town for three days while they worked here. Its supposed to be redone every 3 to 5 years, but we haven't had them come back. We had to move all the furniture totally out and then back in.

I haven't watched any TV since we came back out to the ranch. Well, it's only a week so far, but doing pretty good not having to rely on TV to sleep like I have for so long.

Betty and I have talked again, and her nice house cat Caitlin is very sick. I don't know how many times I've woke up the last several nights worrying about Caitlin. She quite suddenly got some kind of severe allergy. Betty is pretty distraught about her. I hope the vet can find something to help her. Betty might not be able to come to visit here right now if Caitlin doesn't get better soon. We will just stay flexible.

The coyotes were really singing and yipping while I was writing this. Also the frogs are singing now. I love to hear the frogs at night. Its a very comforting sound to me. They are tiny little things here, about an inch long, usually dark greenish.

The 6 P’s “ Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance” Wayne Tweedy, sheepman. Thanks for sharing this, Jackie.

Saturday May 30 2009

A quiet day. It was another lovely morning, but clouding up, cool and breezy this afternoon. Did the same thing yesterday and yesterday evening we had a small shower and another rainbow too. There has been thunder almost every day.

We were going to have Bonnie and Craig over for dinner, but now she's not feeling so well. I hope it's nothing serious and she's better soon. Yesterday I'd made a broccoli rice casserole for our dinner today to save time, and now we don't need it so I told her I'd drive over with half of it for them along with some oatmeal cookies and we'll have the other half. We'll do dinner together here on a better day, and Nancy and Ken might join us.

Am moving slow for getting things done, but got the living room and studio cleaned today. Gradually the house is getting in back shape. Dishwasher is still broken. Didn't get a call back with the number for the repairman. Joe's still slowly working on the utility room sink plumbing. He's feeling a little better today. Maybe he's had some kind of 24 hour bug.

Later I'll call Dish network to get the smartcard installed. The UPS man brought it yesterday, and we got yet another one in the mail, so they will have to tell me which one they want me to use. Later I'll pay the bills I have and do the checking account balance online. Some of our bills have been sent back when the forwarding address expired. Still have to mail the family those birthday cards. They are having the big bbq and birthday party today. I called both the kids and also had a few other phone visits.

(See below for yesterday's outing.There's enough photos there for yesterday and today both.)

Still Friday May 29

EXPLORING WITH JUDI - PHOTO ESSAY

Thought you'd want to know we didn't find any agates.

Today Judi had invited me to go out exploring with her in her jeep. Bonnie and Nancy also let me know later that this could be the day we went to Boar's Tusk. So I had to choose and I had pretty well told Judi that Yes I'd love to do that, so she came over in the morning. We'd talked on the phone and I asked if she would go ahead out on her own if I didn't go. She said yes but she would stop by. In the meantime Joe wasn't feeling well again, and I'd decided I'd better not go anyway at all. But he said to go ahead and go, he'd be fine. Well .... in the other meantime I'd started a big batch of cookies, and started unloading the totally full dishwasher to get all that washed by hand. What a mess the kitchen was when Judi got here. Anyway I made a sandwich for lunch and left the mess undone for the time being. Here are the the photos I took. We had a nice picnic up on the foothills. And back home after spending three or four hours out on a beautiful spring day. Judi also posted photos and text about our trip for you to check out.

Judi standing next to the well

Homestead Well. Dug by hand and rocked from the top down as they dug. Well was 2/10 of a mile from the house and the water was hauled by the children to the house on a cart. Livestock was probably taken to the well for water - ? Imagine doing the laundry and all household needs that way.

Judi and Rollies's Jeep

Williams Homestead - Cousins of Joe's Family - People I knew but who are gone now were raised here. There were 8 children. Their relatives are still ranching here or living in other places around our country.
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When I first saw this place 30 or more years ago the walls were still halfway standing, with more evidence of what else had been there. This is not a a very big house for so large a family

Buttercups

Fallen Homestead, first the roof rots or falls from the weight of the snow, then snow which collects inside the walls, pushes them out and they fall.

Reminiscing

We don't know what this is

This we knew - its a pot.

Phlox

Judi got a big wood splinter

We both got battle wounds -Mine from barb wire

Another old place next to the Big Sandy River

A view of the river near Buckskin Crossing.

Friday May 29 2008

Those Old Muddy Hills

24x36 Oil Painting

by Lynn Thomas

Angus Heifer

Forgot to mention - because it had just barely begun when I was writing last night and I was hoping it would just automatically correct itself ..... RIGHT! FAT CHANCE!!!! - The dishwasher is apparently broken now. It's making a noise like a very loud garbage disposer full of broken glass. I turned it off for a while and then rearranged stuff and turned it back on - not fixed. We only have a few things left that haven't crashed but I'm sure they will. Is this the 80-20 theory? My first thought is how can I make Joe think it is his fault - you know - blame him for it first.

Bonnie had sent this after I ranted about telling him it was nice he always had someone else to blame when something (everything) goes wrong: "I just finished reading "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini. After reading your blog from Saturday I was reminded of a line from it. "Like a compass needle that points north, a man's accusing finger always finds a woman. Always." HA! I love this one, Bonnie - Thanks! LOL.

Well, I have a chance to do several things today and need to see how that's going to work out. Will let you know what trouble we can stir up, later. It's a beautiful day for anything we might try.

Thursday May 28 2009

Judy, Lynn , Lois - I love Lois' Expression

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Judi Massaging my Wrinkly Pinkly Feet

Muddy Creek Looking Downstream'

You can just see the trees at the house

on the left horizon

Muddy Creek Looking Upstream,

It's a nice place for ducks and water birds.

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Sandhill Cranes near the Ranch

Yesterday I finally got the floors in the kitchen, utility room and bathroom finished and got a coat or two of finish on them. They look much better. In the process of that and using the utility room sink, discovered that we had another water leak. Joe worked on it a little yesterday afternoon. He thought he had it fixed and everything tightened up, but then there was another puddle, and since it was late by then we left a pan underneath to catch any drips. He worked on it again this morning. The pan is still there so I'm not sure if he's finished there or not.

Oh my, what a great day. This was our Mixed Media painting group meeting day, so went in to Rendezvous Pointe for that. Dropped off the recycling first. Sure enjoyed seeing everyone. Three of our ladies had very recently gotten back from being gone all winter. We all just talked and laughed for about six hours straight. I felt like I couldn't talk fast enough. Maybe too much caffeine. We had a good crowd of the members attending too. We have a new member. One of Kay's young students, a boy named Thomas. He was doing a really nice painting of a buffalo. He's about 12 or 13 and a really nice young man.

Judi surprised me by bringing her lotions and potions and asked permission to give me a foot massage. Like I'd say "NO". She even had a hot water soak. It was wonderful. Thank you so much Judi. It was a special gift and you are so thoughtful to do it. She gave one to Nancy too, but I guess I was in such bliss that I forgot to photograph Nancy getting one.

I worked on my moose pastel and just about have it finished. It can be photographed to show you soon. Lunch was Swiss steak and pretty tasty.

Lois had dug another plant out of her garden for the new house - a gooseberry bush, so we went up to the new house after the meeting and planted it. I watered all the trees and plants. All the others she gave me are looking good, even the aspen trees are budding, but the had some deer nibblings on them already. Everybodies shrubs and trees need to be caged to keep the deer from destroying everything.

Next went to buy a few groceries, not to waste the trip to town. The drive home in the evening light was nice. It had rained between Silver Creek and the end of the pavement, but didn't seem to have any moisture here today. Things are getting greener every day. Spring is such a pretty season. Picked up some baked chicken and scalloped potatoes for our dinner, which made that fairly painless.

Then talked to Bonnie and after that to Betty. Betty and Nancy (high school girlfriends) will be here for a week starting the 6th. Betty's cat is sick, probably an allergy she thinks, and she is worried about her. So here I am still all wound up with visiting hard and fast today and need to get calmed down to sleep.

Oh, need to tell you more about yesterday. About the beginning of the week the girls said that they were having a party at Debbie's. Our family has a lot of birthdays at the end of May and first of June. So they all get together to celebrate. AND ..... the new great grandson would be there too. I was so disappointed that there would be another get together that Id miss, but just figured that's life - what else is new.

Then for some reason Tuesday night I started thinking , Hey I could go to that if I got on the plane and flew down. Wednesday kept thinking about it and finally got on the Internet to see if there were flights and how much it would cost. Of course then I was all excited about doing it - Joe wasn't. I emailed them to see what they thought and they said do it. There is a flight about noon out of Rock Springs with a change in Salt Lake and getting to Vegas about 3:30. BUT altogether with the two hour drive to R.S. the whole trip would take about 10 hours including getting there an hour early prior to take off etc. etc. I could get in the car and drive all the way and be there in about that time, and it sure wouldn't cost $325. Judi even said today that she'd drive me to the airport. Because if I did that I could come back home with Betty when she comes to visit. But I finally decided to just wait a little while and go later if I have a chance. I could go back with Betty. So it's been a "flighty" time. I decided this afternoon not to go.

Someone said today that the airport in Jackson is closed for runway repairs for some time. They are busing all the people over to Idaho Falls. That was why I didn't find a flight out of there. I never knew a fairly large airport could just close up that way.

When you dream in color, it's a pigment of your imagination

Wednesday May 27 2009

Grizzly Bear Head Sketch

by Lynn Thomas

The trouble with writing early is that nothing has happened yet. The sky was robin's egg blue without a cloud this morning. Soon there were cumulous clouds peaking over the edge of the hills. Now two thirds of the sky is covered, and if it were "the early days" a forecast might be to have some rain likely later today.

Have been sleeping pretty good lately, but last night I didn't. So not feeling very ambitious. Joe was up early as usual and rode out on the ATV to check his water. He said yesterday it isn't doing well at all. About halfway down the ditch it quits going out into the field except for a few feet. Of course he hasn't even irrigated the top half for years, since all this drought began. It is a shame to see a beautiful hayfield to go into decline -all the hard work of the past becoming unfruitful.

Here it is almost the first of June. Our usual bunches of antelope just aren't around here this spring. There have been only a couple and none in sight for days now. It's almost time for them to be having their kids. I see some when we go by Sandra's but I'm going to ask her if she thinks there are as many over there as usual. Have also seen or heard only a few cranes. None seen on our field.

Judi gave us this today - Ecc 3:12 There is nothing better than to be happy & enjoy the fruits of your labor, for these are gifts from God. Ecc 5:20

Speaking of the Green craze and in general to become less materialistic: Carrie Fisher put it simply. "Until recently our societal slogan of consumption has been this: instant gratification takes too long".